"Okay, this is just overkill." Artorian sighed as he stood out of Claire's estate, staring up to the building. It wasn't the biggest house he's seen, but the size was well bigger than the dorm building him and the other Slayers were staying at. It made sense the captain of the ship would have the best residence, but to the boy he didn't understand why someone would need a place so big to live in.
Getting over that momentary pause, the Slayer would walk up to the door and knock twice. He wouldn't be waiting for longer than a minute when the door opened to reveal Chris, wearing a casual shirt and shorts.
"A-Ah, we were waiting for you Artorian." Chris stuttered initially, the memory of their first meeting still fresh in his mind and leaving him intimidated.
"Sup pint size, where's blondie?" Artorian would ask, smirking as he looked into the mansion.
"Ah, she's currently out back with Liddy and Erica." Chris responded, opening the fencing across from them with his PDA. "P-Please follow me."
"Relax brat, I don't bite." He stated as the two would walk past the fence, the door and entrance closing on their own as they did. "I only threw the fork at you because you were being a smartass. As long as you avoid bringing up personal shit, you'll be fine."
"I'm fourteen, having a utensil thrown near you that impales into a building leaves an impression."
"Please, when I was your age I got mugged. The thing didn't even graze you."
"The point still stands."
It wouldn't take more than a few seconds for the two to walk the side of the building, and when they reached the backyard Artorian saw a sight that was both a blessing and a curse. In the back was a tiled pool, roughly around 25 meters if he were to guess. There seemed to be three set lanes in the pool, one of which Liddy was currently swimming back and forth in.
'Physical therapy?' Artorian would guess, assuming that Liddy still had any physical issues from their mission. As he would place his sword against the building, he'd take the time to see the white one-piece swimsuit the girl was wearing, smirking to himself with a single chuckle. 'Damn the fact I only get these sights near water.'
"Claire, Artorian has arrived now." Chris would announce, getting Artorian to turn to see a set of deck chairs and several umbrellas.
But it wasn't so much the chairs Artorian was focused on, rather the two that were currently resting on them. Claire and Erica both were relaxing by the poolside, with the latter reading a book while Claire rested on her front. Seeing the president and vice-president in their respective swimwear, a red two-piece bikini and a blue one-piece swimsuit, Artorian couldn't feel more than accepting of the risks to enjoy the sights.
'I don't care if you warned me about water and women Karen, this is a sight worth facing your predictions for.'
After his moment of self-enjoyment, Artorian would approach the blonde president. As he stopped three feet away, Claire would turn her head to face him, still lying on her front as she would speak up.
"Thank you for your hard work Artorian, I understand we pushed the work on you suddenly this morning." She would state, her compliment genuine despite the requirement of bribery to get him to accept the job in the first place.
"Eh well… it wasn't so bad." He would say, looking down for a second in reflection over his mission. On how he learned much about the idol he once despised with a passion, and how he missed almost every mark on her.
"If you wish, I will prepare some refreshments." Chris would say, giving a bow to the president as he did.
"Yes, please do." Upon her permission, the boy headed back into the house, leaving the four Slayers out to converse. "I'm surprised at how quickly your work was finished. I was expecting you to be busy for most of the day."
"You and me both…" He'd mutter, looking over to the pool as Liddy finished her latest rep, holding onto the side of the pool to give herself a pause. "Yo Liddy! How you feeling!?" He'd call out, getting the vice-president's attention.
"A little rough around the edges, however much better than I was yesterday." Erica responded to the boy, giving him a grateful smile as she did. "Thank you for your help last night."
"Anytime, I actually need to talk to you about something later on that." He'd say, giving a small salute along with a returning smirk. "Charlotte said she'd got some data from your last physical report that she wanted to talk to you about."
"I understand, thank you for the head's up." Liddy would nod before going for her next rep, swimming for the other end of the pool once more.
"I'm not sure what you had done, but I'm grateful for you helping Liddy as well." Claire would say, getting Artorian's attention again. "I don't agree with her remaining asleep for so long, but she's the best she's been in days and it's in part thanks to you."
"Eh, it was no big deal." He shrugged. "Just helping out a fellow Slayer and all that shit."
"At least you're more of a team player than I expected."
"Hey, if half my team are going to be beautiful women I'll gladly play the part." He smirked, looking down to her as he did. Taking a quick second, he more appreciated the president's figure as she laid down on her deck chair, from her untied hair to her voluptuous breasts pressing down against the chair. "Speaking of which, not that I'm complaining; Gods I'm not, but what's with the swimsuit?"
"I'm at a pool am I not?" Claire would return the question. "Is that not the proper attire for taking the time to rest and recover after a long day of work?"
"I mean, I was talking more about the fact yours is…" He'd trail off, pointing to his back in reference to her top; something he expected would be easily picked up on.
"My, are you actually embarrassed Artorian?" Claire would smirk, seeing this as the chance to get back at the boy for his previous flirting taunts. "I wouldn't expect such a thing from you after your little stunt in our duel. Would you perhaps like a better look?" She'd then begin to get up, both Artorian and Erica jumping in surprise as she did.
"Wait do you not…"
"Claire wait! After applying your suntan lotion I hadn't-!" Erica attempted to warn, but was stunned as the president stood and took a gravure model posture.
"Eh?" She let out a confused sound as the two Slayers around her were completely silent, wondering what was the deal being made when she felt a small breeze against her chest. Looking down, she had saw that her bra was not on her, having fell onto the ground as the straps were undone earlier.
"Wow you actually didn't notice." Artorian muttered in half amazement at the lack of foresight from the Slayer. However as he said that, he was drinking in the sight of Claire's bare breasts, saving a mental image as he couldn't help but smirk to himself.
'I'm so dead for this, but it this will be a day worth dying over!' He thought, having one last glance at the president's tits before Claire's horrid mistake came to process in her mind fully.
"Kyaah!?" She screamed in humiliation as she moved her arms to cover her chest, crouching down with tears of shame flowing down her cheeks.
"She screamed "Kyaah!" AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Artorian was bellowing with laughter as he held his stomach, unable to contain himself after not one, but two humiliating blunders by the Slayer. "I respect the attempt at trying to beat me at my own game, but once again I come out on top!"
"Hey, what did you just do Artorian!?"
'SHHIIIIIIIIIT!'
Barely getting through his thought as he heard Liddy yell at him, he turned to see that the vice-president was already out of the water, having not seen the situation and simply acting on a fight or flight. But as she reared her fist back to strike the boy with a blow he fully deserved, dark skinned Slayer slipped on a the tile, causing her fist to miss but for her to crash right into him.
Due to the slickness of the tile, Artorian was unable to support himself and the two fell to the ground in a tangle. As she nearly flipped over, Liddy was temporarily dazed; unable to process her fall while Artorian hit the back of his head on the ground.
Grunting and seething, he would close his eyes to try and grit his teeth to ignore the pain he was feeling on the back of his head. 'All jokes aside, I'm really glad I have a thick skull…' He'd think, thankful the fall onto his back didn't knock him out on impact.
"Okay… okay, I deserved that." He groaned as he would slowly blink his eyes open, still wincing in pain but managing to ignore most of it as he did. "You alright Lid…dy…" What he had opened his eyes to was the sight of Liddy sitting on his chest, leaning back as she was pushing herself up from her momentary stun.
"Ahhhh… that was a bad idea." She'd whine, one eye closed as she had felt a bit of pain in the back of her head despite not hitting the ground.
"Li-Liddy! What are you doing!?" Hearing the sound of Erica shout, Liddy's focus returned and she looked down, her whole body freezing in shock at her position. She had landed mostly on Artorian, sitting on his chest with her swimsuit-clad crotch nearly right in the face of Artorian.
"I-I-I, I couldn't even tell you! I didn't mean to-!"
"Not that this isn't a horrible experience for me, but could you please get off me?" Artorian would groan. "It's kinda getting hard to breath with your ass pressing down on my lungs."
"Aah!" Liddy let out a scream of embarrassment as she got up and rapidly stepped backwards, nearly going three meters away in order to get away from the downed Slayer.
"Fuee… sweet air." Artorian panted as he felt the pressure off his chest release, sitting up painfully while rubbing the back of his head. Looking around, he saw the utterly ridiculous situation that had fell before them. With him on his back, Liddy nearly shaking with a bright blush from embarrassment, and Claire crouching down and hiding her chest with Erica frantically reaching for the bra.
'Selections everybody… the best Little Garden has to offer.'
"Um, what happened out here?" Chris asked as he stepped out of the house, holding a plate with several drinks while staring at the scene in confusion. He was completely unaware of what was going on, both from his age and simply not being present for the whole scenario.
"Magical things Chris." Artorian would let out a single chuckle as he laid back down, sprawling his arms and legs out as he did. "Magical, jiggly things."
"I don't understand."
"You will when you're older."
"Ahem, I'm sorry for everything going off as bad as it did." Claire would cough into her hand, a blush still clear on her face as she sat on the deck chair with Artorian standing back up, Liddy and Erica both by her side while Chris remained behind them.
"Don't be, I got images that I'll take to the grave." Artorian smirked, chuckling for a second before an ice cube hit him in the head and shut him up. "I deserved that too." Liddy didn't respond as she took a sip of her drink through her straw, keeping a firm stare on the boy as Claire continued.
"Besides that, there is something more outside of your mission report that I wished to hear." The blonde stated, looking up to him with a serious stare despite her small blush remaining. "According to Souffle, along with Sakura's Hundred there are dozens of new technology being used on her stage, many of which that use variable stones. However, she has recently reported that most of the stones present were stolen after the Savage attack."
"Wow, your UN buddies probably aren't happy about that." Artorian whistled. He wasn't an expert in pricing, but he knew variable stones went for a really high price. Selling one was always within UN jurisdiction, and just one could likely earn you more than the most expensive diamond.
"Be as it may, we have reasons to believe that those who stole the stones may show themselves once more. And with the most priceless and valuable of the ones remaining on the Zwei Islands being Sakura's own Hundred, your next time guarding her will likely come with combat. And with that in mind, it would be wise to bring your own Hundred with you from now on. But should you run into trouble, you must first contact either us or anyone in Selections as soon as possible. Are we clear?"
"Crystal ma'am." Artorian mock saluted, smirking as he looked down to her. "I'll be combat ready from now on, and I'll protect the Bubblegum Maiden with my life."
"Very well, I am glad to have settled our conversation on your work. And since that's done, I would like to talk about something more private with you."
"Oh?"
Rising from her chair, Claire would stand before Artorian with a look of determination, her embarrassment gone as she narrowed her eyes and pointed to the Slayer.
"Artorian, I challenge you to a rematch!"
"Um… what?" Artorian asked, confused by the announcement. "Hold up, we agreed our rematch would come when I'm recognized as your equal, it has been almost a month since we fought, no way in hell am I accepting another half assed display."
"Of course, our battle is meant to be conducted when you wish to clash as equals rather than opponents. However that is not what I had in mind." Claire explained, getting a raised eyebrow from the boy. "You are also still on active duty, I wouldn't dare risk lowering your energy while on assignment. What I have in mind is much more simple."
After her words, the president would walk towards the pool, stepping onto the dive board before looking back to him. "I would like to challenge you to a swimming match." She would then jump into the water, rising over the surface with a confident smile on her face. "So, what do you say Artorian?"
"As much as I'd love to extend this lovely show with three women in their swimsuits, I'm gonna have to decline that challenge." Artorian would respond, everyone present surprised at the turn down.
"Wait, you're not interested in competing?" Erica asked.
"Oh no I'd love to see how well I stack up against Claire aside from Hundred combat. Unfortunately you chose the one kind of competition I physically am incapable of doing."
"Wait, are you saying that you can't…"
"Yep, I can't swim. Never learned how to." Artorian admitted, shrugging his shoulders as he did. "Dad promised to teach me, he got busy a lot and I was left with the Kisaragis. And I refused to take lessons from anyone but him growing up. I think you know where the rest of this story goes."
"Wait but… what about after the Second Attack? You didn't learn after?" Claire asked, completely caught off guard by the boy's admission to his inability to swim.
"I had to focus on Karen, she was all I had left and I refused to let her down ever. So I worked and trained, paid for all the bills I could with my inheritance and scrounged up whatever extra cash I could. No time to swim then."
"The one chance I had…" Although she whispered it, Artorian heard Claire whisper under her breath, pouting as she slumped her shoulders.
'Ugh, this girl.' He thought as he rubbed his head.
"Hey look, I can't accept the challenge today. Learning to swim feels like a shit thing to do especially after our little incident." Although he would've loved to joke more on it to get to the girls, he spared them from it on the grounds that Chris was present. He swore like a sailor, but he wouldn't be so bad as to put those kinds of images or thoughts into a fourteen-year-old kid.
"So how about this: When there seems to be a good day for the both of us, you can teach me how to swim. And after I get the hang of it enough, we'll have our little race. Sound fair?"
"Very well." She would nod, smiling again as she looked up at him in determination. "You best not break that promise, it would look bad on your reputation."
"Hehe, don't you worry your pretty little head Claire. I keep my promises, every one of them." He then looked to Liddy, motioning her to follow with his shoulder. "And if there's nothing else I'm need for here, we're going to need to head to Charlotte's lab."
"Right now? Wouldn't you want a break after your day of work?" Chris would ask, the drink prepared for Artorian sitting on one of the tables as the Slayer hadn't touched it.
"My day isn't over yet, still got two things left on it before I can." Artorian smirked, looking down to the boy. "But thanks for the thought, means a lot ya squirt."
"Very well, if I must go." Liddy would say, putting her drink down as she started to walk for the house. "I'll be back out in a few minutes."
"I mean, you could just go like that." He chuckled. "I certainly wouldn't complain." He was then hit in the head by another ice cube, silencing him immediately. "Fine, be the buzz kill, see if I care."
He then walked over to his sword, pausing to look down at his reflection in the blade. Picking it up, he'd stare as he saw his figure turn into a shadowy mass, bright red eyes appearing in the misty body before swiping the weapon up onto his shoulder.
'There's still time, nothing to worry about.'
"So… how did you sleep?" Artorian would ask, he and Liddy in uniform while the elevator was moving down to Charlotte's lab.
"Fine, woke up weak but no complications." Liddy responded simply, the air in the room awkward given the pool incident being fresh in the girl's mind.
"Any nightmares?"
"None, I didn't even have a dream."
"Ah, good. Good."
.
.
.
"Oh for Gods, it wasn't that big of a deal." Artorian couldn't take the silence, looking over to Liddy. "So what you landed on me and I got a close up, it's not exactly like anything happened from it. Hell, it's much more tame then what happened to Claire."
"Not all of us are able to brush such situations off easily Artorian." Liddy said, closing her eyes in embarrassed anger, her blush returning. "For me to land in such a position is beyond disgraceful, and with a boy such as yourself no less!"
"Ouch, position read." Artorian winced, looking away. "Could've just said ya didn't like me, would've understood that a lot better."
"Wait, I didn't mean it like-that's not what I... I cannot allow myself to be in such positions in public!" Liddy suddenly got defensive, getting Artorian to lean a bit away as she pointed to him. "Not only were we out in the open, but in the presence of both Claire and Erica, with Chris having just missed what had happened. As vice-president, positions like that are beyond what I should be caught in by others." She then looked away, crossing her arms under her bust as she did. "I did not mean to insult you as a person, just that I cannot stand being in such a humiliating position."
"Oh, so you do like me." He smirked, snickering as he saw her whole body shake.
"I did not say that!"
"You certainly didn't say you didn't!"
"I swear if I had my Hundred with me I would-!"
"Would what, Liddy?" The two paused as the door opened, revealing Charlotte's lab with the doctor facing the two from her chair in front of her monitors.
"…Nothing, Dr. Dimandias." Liddy responded, looking away from Artorian as the two stepped out of the elevator. "You wished to see me?"
"Yes well, more required to see you than wish. If it were my wishes, we wouldn't have to have such a serious discussion." Charlotte stated, standing up from her chair and walking to the door to her side. "Would you two please follow me? Matthew waiting for us in my main laboratory."
"Matthew's here too?" Liddy questioned, looking to Artorian who simply nodded, the two following Charlotte as they walked down a stainless hospital white hall. "This room's so bright." She'd comment, shielding her eyes with a hand while Artorian winced in agreement.
"Down here requires a surplus of power, LiZa tries to balance it the best she can but a few extra charges go to this hallway for procedures." Charlotte lied, the hall almost completely dark for her in comparison to Liddy and Artorian. "It should balance out when we get to my examination center."
The trio would walk past over a dozen rooms that were sealed and torched shut, almost like to keep something in before ending at a final room. When Charlotte opened it, the two Slayers felt their eyes be relieved of the bright light as they stepped in.
However while the other two simply walked in, Liddy paused at the door at seeing the entire room. It was a large center, appearing to almost be the size of Little Garden's command center with a set of stairs going down to the ground floor. Down there she saw what appeared to be several operating tables, a cold shiver going down her back as she saw some strange black liquid stained on the sides.
"Oi, Liddy." Artorian called up to her from the stairs, seeing she hadn't followed. "What are you waiting for?"
"This… this is… what is this?" Liddy asked in return, looking down to her fellow Slayer. "What are you two planning on…"
"Liddy, I know what you're thinking. I'm telling you now, don't listen to that feeling in your back, that cold shiver that wants you to be cautious. It's playing a trick on you, this place is perfectly safe. Ignore that instinct telling you anything else."
"How would you know what I'm thinking?"
"I know what you're thinking because it's what I'm thinking." He admitted, looking to the operating tables, his own chill flowing through him at the sight of the black liquid. "It's a natural instinct, but one that you don't need to listen to right now. Just come down and we can explain everything."
Liddy remained silent as she looked down to Artorian, the boy looking back up to her with an understanding glance. She couldn't tell why, but her body was fighting against her own better judgment. She knew that neither the scientist or Slayer would attempt anything to hurt her, but she refused to move from her spot. Like it refused to let her even consider moving down the stairs.
"Start walking, now." Liddy's body froze as she heard Matthew's voice behind her, the boy holding his hand just behind her neck as lightning crackled around his fingers.
"M-Matthew, what are you-?"
"I won't repeat myself." He interrupted, the sparks around his hand growing as he narrowed his eyes. "If you don't move down those stairs, I will take that as a sign that It is trying to escape. And despite our past, I will uphold my duty to the letter."
'It? What is he talking about?'
"Matthew, back away from her!" Artorian shouted up to the two, his gaze turning to a glare. "She doesn't know yet, you can't force a Vessel to operate against their instincts, she has to come down on her own."
"She'll go whether she wants to or not." He responded.
"Now, now boys. Let's not make this situation any worse by increasing the tension." Charlotte would say, stepping past Artorian to look up to Liddy. "Liddy, I know you have many questions, that you're confused on everything that's going on. Everything will be alright, you just need to come down here and we can show you everything."
"I… I…" Liddy's body felt stiff as she looked down, the Slayer's mind running rapid as she couldn't wrap her head around what was going on. A mixture of Matthew's threatening position and Artorian's refusal to give a direct answer had her second-guessing everything. But as she looked to the doctor, she saw the small woman smile, and in that a faint feeling of calmness slowly spread through her, allowing her to fight against her body and step towards the first step. "I… I'll come. Just give me a minute."
"How'd you know that'd work?" Artorian asked, whispering to Charlotte as Liddy walked down with Matthew close behind her.
"Even if you were born with it, the Abyss in you has traces of your father's strain. It recognizes when an entity is something it can familiarize with and lowers its defenses down slightly." She explained. "You and any Vessel will trust me, if at least enough to hear me out."
"...Wish he left that in his notes."
"Okay, I'm here." Liddy would say cautiously, stepping away from the stairs. "Can someone please explain what is going on here?"
"He will, it's his responsibility after all." Matthew said, pointing to Artorian from over her shoulder. It was at this chance Liddy saw that Matthew didn't have his Hundred active, surprising her as she assumed his lightning came from his energy unlocked from the variable stones.
"You can leave her alone, she won't do anything." Artorian said, keeping his eyes on Liddy as he attempted to remain reassuring.
"I'll stay where I am, I'm following procedure unlike you."
"Fine, be an ass." He sighed, taking a step towards Liddy as he began to speak. "Liddy, do you know of the kingdom of Lordran?"
"Of course, it's a large country in the middle of the pacific ocean." Liddy answered. "They were one of the latest to join the UN, but aside from their representative I can't admit I know much of the people."
"Well, there's a lot more to it than that." Artorian would say, trying to find the right words for what he was going to be explaining. "The natives of Lordran, Lords, have been around since the very beginning of humanity. They've lived in a society fully completed and advanced when humanity was still throwing stones and spears over 15,000 years ago."
"It's put to question, but an accepted truth on the origin of the Lords is that we were born from the First Flame: a powerful fire that sparked to life and granted untold power to the husks of creatures that rose from the ground in response to it's ignition. And as soon as we were crafted from the Flame, we were faced against an overwhelming enemy, one that still plagues us to this day."
"The Savage…" Liddy whispered, her eyes widening in realization at the idea. "Hold up, what you mean to say is-!"
"The Savage did not invade this planet for the first time during the First Attack." Artorian finished, his gaze turning serious as he did. "They have been a threat to this world for much longer, possibly even before when the Lords were created. They were all over, the sky full of countless Savage far more fearsome than what humanity has seen."
"Humans had seen the Savage before, but no record or proof of what they were could be noted." Charlotte mentioned, taking her lollipop out and throwing it into a trash bin. "However, the creatures' forms are documented in old cave paintings. As a matter of fact, the concept of dragons in fantasy is entirely based off the original Savage. Such an impact left that we recognize and associate the Savage with the ideas of power, might and destruction without even realizing it."
"The Lords fought for over three centuries against the Savage, every day losing more and more against their collective power. They were simply too strong for us to handle on our own. Until one day, a Lord rose above that of those that came before. The God of Sunlight: Lord Gwyn." Artorian picked up from Charlotte.
"Gwyn through power gifted to him by the First Flame, discovered the power to wield and control lightning. Upon his discovery, other Lords slowly rose with the gift, and with the power they once again challenged the Savage in a bloody and violent war. It lasted for half a millennium, but with their newly discovered powers the Lords brought death and ruin to the Savage, the lightning destroying the outer layer of them while their soldiers rushed for the cores."
"After the last Dragon Savage was killed, the Lords built several kingdoms across the world. They were the dominant rulers; the world would bend to their whim as they were the Flames chosen. Those of Lordran built their kingdom over where the First Flame burned, creating a kiln to harness its power and protect it from future threats."
"The Savage would invade, however with the original battle over the Lords created a faction of their most elite warriors. They would be known as Dragon Slayers, with a legendary warrior leading them for thousands of years before vanishing without a trace."
"For the next thousand years, the Lords experienced true peace, the Dragon Slayers wiping out the Savage efficiently and preventing any massive scale invasion. But then… it showed up." The tone of the room then took a sudden shift, as a cold presence filled from around Artorian.
"First it was the kingdom of Telok, it was just like any other day and the kingdom was completely wiped out without a trace. The collection of Lords that searched the area after its collapse was reportedly wiped out, not a trace of them after they went in. At that moment Lord Gwyn ordered the entire continent be sunken, and to this day it's considered to not even exist. But we know."
"At first it was thought to be a random occurrence, but then Genshalon collapsed, followed by Serun, Hentaulr and Fenral. Suddenly the Lords were being picked off like flies, and it wasn't until they were reduced to two kingdoms that they figured out what they're enemy was."
"By then, most of our people were wiped out. We were pushed back to an extent that even Gwyn himself feared the destruction of our people." Matthew stated, his hand remaining at Liddy's neck but his lightning dying down. "He was forced to swallow his pride and call upon the aid of humans, which had shown signs of development but not enough to be considered useful."
"You understand all of this sounds completely crazy, right?" Liddy asked as she looked around the room. "You mean to tell me that not only were the Savage on this world before even humanity was, but that there's some kind of super race of beings that could fight them without Hundreds?"
"Of course it sounds crazy, this whole damn world is." Artorian shrugged. "But we know that just telling you isn't enough proof. You need to see it to believe."
"Which part of this room is disposable?" Matthew asked, looking to Charlotte who pointed to one of the operation tables.
"Table 2-C."
"Understood." Taking his hand away from Liddy's neck, the girl was able to turn in time to be showed the sight of Matthew rearing his arm over his shoulder as lightning flashed across his entire body. It would continue and rage before clashing into his palm, forming a spear made entirely out of lightning. And with a single throw, the spear crashed into the table and eviscerated any trace of it, the explosion causing a small torrent of wind that forced Liddy to protect her face while everyone remained still, Charlotte using Artorian as her shield from the intensity.
Opening her eyes, Liddy stared in utter shock as the lightning slowly died off around Matthew, the boy now fully visible to her. There was not only no Hundred, but even his variable suit wasn't on, revealing to her he had preformed the feat with zero energy from the devices.
"I am the son of Ornstein Ornisium, a Dragon Slayer and former member of the strongest Lords in Lordran: the Knights of Gwyn." Matthew responded to her shocked and horrified expression, the glint in Matthew's eyes promising destruction in the second she saw it.
"S-So you two are… you're both…" Liddy tried to say, her whole perception taking a hit and causing her to fall over. Before she hit the ground though, Artorian moved down and caught her, keeping her up and lifting her back onto her feet. "So everything you said is… is it actually…?"
"There's a few areas with little information, but I can confirm most of it is true." Artorian said calmly, seeing Liddy's eyes widen in horror at the revelations put on her.
"The Savage have been here for… they were here before even we were…" As she looked down in horror, she'd reach up to grip Artorian's sleeves while her body shook. "Over 30,000 years, and we're still fighting them."
"I know this is a lot to take in Liddy, but you have to remain focused." Artorian would say, lifting his hands onto her shoulders and forcing her to stand straight, looking up to him. "The Savage are relentless, but they are not invincible. Every time the Lords fought them back, they disappeared for centuries. The world was able to recover before, and they won't destroy us now."
"How do you… how do you know that?"
"Because humanity wasn't at the crux of their potential." Artorian answered. "The Lords were blind and foolish, raising humanity up to be nothing more than slave knights, used as cannon fodder. But recently, there were Lords that saw the potential in you, in every human. And we're lucky that they were able to pass the torch before it was too late."
"Artorian and Matthew aren't full blooded Lords." Charlotte said, appearing understanding to Liddy's situation as she did. "Artorias and Ornstein were the only Lords in Lordran that saw us as a solution; that we had an answer to the Savage that they could never find."
"How do you know that we could do that?" Liddy asked. "They fought for thousands of years and couldn't win, what chance do we have?"
"I'll admit, at first I didn't. But I knew Artorias and Ornstein, they wouldn't make a claim that we could do it if they didn't truly believe it." Charlotte stated, closing her eyes as she smiled. "And I can confirm that they were right, no matter how strong the Lords are now we are capable of surpassing them. In Little Garden, Claire is the living example of that."
"Claire…?"
"Claire's stronger than both Artorian and I, that isn't something imagined to be possible period." Matthew stated, crossing his arms as Liddy looked back to him. "Humans have crossed a threshold Lords would say is impossible, with strength in mind and soul we couldn't possibly achieve."
"So you think there's… a chance?"
"I know there is." Artorian stated, releasing Liddy to allow her to stand on her own. "We're different, even if it takes a decade or 10,000 years we can defeat the Savage for good. But to do that we can't lose our heads." He then smiled as he tapped his knuckle on the side of Liddy's head. "YOU can't go and lose your head. You've become a very important piece in this world now, one of the few humans that know more about the Lords."
"…Why tell me?" Liddy asked. "Does the United Nations know? Does Claire know? Who else know about this?"
"Only a select few humans know what the Lords really are." Charlotte said. "Aside from a few world leaders, Granald Gudenberg and Serivia Notredame Paul III, Bill and Judal Harvey, and myself. Aside from us, there are very few that know the full truth."
"But why tell me?" Liddy questioned, looking up to Artorian. "Why not Claire, she could be a much better asset in this whole battle. You said it yourself, she's the proof humanity can fight at the level of Lords."
"…Because you have to be involved now, for your life's sake." Artorian answered, his stare softening as he did. "Liddy, it's my fault your in this situation but it can be fixed. I promise you that what could happen doesn't have to."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Liddy took a step back, cautious from Artorian's statement.
"You remember I told you how a new enemy nearly wiped the Lords out, correct?" Artorian asked. "The two last kingdoms, Drangleic and Lordran, were on the verge of a potential collapse. So in a last ditch effort in order to combat what was happening, sent their best warriors in order to fight it in the last kingdom that fell. 10,000 warriors stepped into what would be certain death. And for most of them it was. For all except three warriors."
"Three Lords climbed out of the mountains of bodies of both their comrades and enemies alike and returned. And the news they gave, changed the way Lords saw the dark forever."
"They told of an eternal darkness, an entity that did not physically exist but could alter and affect the world around it. They called it the Abyss, reflecting on the endless void that had swallowed them in the battlefield."
"According to records, these three warriors had managed to destroy the source of the Abyss that had accumulated in the kingdom. But it had come at a cost." Matthew spoke, closing his eyes as he did. "The three were corrupted and cursed, their very souls being tainted by the Abyss. They themselves became carriers of it, and were doomed to be plagued by it for as long as they lived."
"But despite that, they were able to control it to some extent, using it against the source of the Abyss to destroy it. From those three were birthed some of the most effective Savage killers were born, unable to control lightning but with a perceived unparalleled strength. We called them Abysswalkers, Lords that tread the darkness that would force any other mad."
"Abysswalkers carry the Abyss with them forever, even their blood carries it. And upon that discovery, the three were used to create families of Abysswalkers." Charlotte added in. "It was rare for an Abysswalker to create a viable child, but those that were grew and became more powerful than some of the most elite Lords."
"Okay, and where do I fit into that?" Liddy asked.
"Among the Abysswalkers, all but one of the families has vanished. Three exist, and three still live, however we have lost track of two of them. Either they had gone mad and imprisoned themselves to prevent it from spreading… or they've gone rouge. Both that disappeared were from Drangleic, as the kingdom eventually fell from the king being deceived by a fragment of the Abyss."
"The last bloodline of Abysswalkers, the one tracked by Lordran…" Matthew spoke, pointing over to Artorian with a sharp glare. "Is present among us, the last of the Abyssal blood: those that harness the raw might the Abyss has to offer."
"You… you have it in you?"
"Surprise." Artorian joked with a dry voice, his face downcast as he did.
"And the reason I'm here is because…"
"The Abyss can infect people outside of the Abysswalkers, although it's rare and doesn't always cooperate with those it infects." Artorian stated. "Most are driven mad and commit suicide in a matter of hours, as it rips their mind apart before dispersing into nothing. But the ones that it bonds to are known as Vessels."
"Vessels in the past were often Lords, which would seal their fates to the same of an Abysswalker. But then a few decades ago Artorias had the bright idea of changing that." Charlotte explained. "He attempted to make humans into Vessels, seeing what would happen if he did. And what had resulted from it was better than expected."
"You don't mean…"
"The story that first generation Slayers were implanted with technological and chemical enhancements is a complete fabrication, made to hide the truth. What really happened was they were infected with the Abyss, willingly giving themselves for a chance to protect humanity from the Savage."
"Liddy, when you ran into my room after my fight against Claire, that black mist that was escaping from my body was the Abyss manifesting itself." Artorian stated. "You stared into the Abyss and it stared back. By all accounts, you should've gone mad and died a long time ago. All except for the account that you… became one of my Vessels."
"That… that isn't possible. I stared at it for only a second!"
"That's all the Abyss needs to taint what's around it." Matthew informed. "Your soul has been infected by Artorian's strain of the Abyss, and in a matter of a month will fully develop into a Vessel."
"You don't need to worry though, there's an alternative." Artorian promised, seeing the panic of Liddy's face return.
"You told me that Vessels are cursed with it forever, what other option would I have!?"
"It can be removed." Artorian stated. "Liddy, Lord Vessels were doomed to face the conflict inside them caused by the Abyss. But humans, you're a completely different story."
"As a human, your soul is on a completely different scale than a Lord's. The Abyss needs time to fully develop in a human and can be removed. It physically molds itself to you on the inside and can be taken out." Charlotte explained, taking her glasses off as she did. "Even after the Abyss fully develops it can be removed, however that would leave permanent damage to the body and limit functionality in a variety of different ways."
"So it… it can be removed. I don't have to become a Vessel?" Liddy asked, looking over to the doctor as she did.
"It'll be a painful procedure, while you're under the Abyss will struggle against you in an attempt to keep itself present. The medication I developed will handle the most of it, but you may be faced with many other nightmares that scale drastically in comparison to your previous ones."
"I can handle that, I won't become afflicted with such an entity. I refuse to allow myself to be anything else than human." She announced, narrowing her eyes as she did. "If humans have the potential to surpass the Lords, then I refuse to be aided by a torturous weapon they developed and use on their own people."
"Good." Matthew smirked as he closed his eyes.
"See, and you thought she'd lose herself." Artorian grinned as he chuckled. "I think if anything, she's already showing signs of increased vigor. Humanity will always manage to be a wildcard."
"Artorian, you told me that you've had struggles with nightmares." Liddy spoke up, looking over to the Slayer. "Tell me, are they because of the Abyss like my last one was?"
"Completely. I've had them ever since I was little, but aside from just being simple nightmares they didn't affect me for the longest time." He admitted. "But when I turned thirteen they became more intense. Eventually I lost a lot of sleep and sometimes just never went to bed. I've learned how to stay up for over twenty days just to avoid seeing them."
"Doing that to their own people, your leaders are monsters." Liddy said, her hands tightening into fists as she looked down. "You've dealt with this for your whole life, I can only imagine what you dream of. Of what horrors you…" She then narrowed her eyes, turning back to Charlotte. "How soon can we have it removed?"
"I can start the operation in just a few minutes." The doctor informed, going to her desk and pulling out specially designed goggles. "There's a few side effects to the removal of the Abyss in you, but none that will be life threatening."
"You'll have a few traits inherited from your Abysswalker, in this case Artorian." Matthew explained, looking to the hybrid mentioned. "According to my father, you'll likely develop heightened senses, not that of a Lord but higher than most humans. Your body also may alter and grow, perhaps two to three inches to account for your muscle fibers enhancing. That in mind you'll grow stronger and faster, albeit to what extent is in the air."
"Those are the ones that can be confirmed, you may pick up smaller ones that don't change you at all physically but nothing to the extent as the others." Charlotte finished, clapping and bringing the equipment in the laboratory to life. "You won't be nearly as powerful as you would be as a Vessel, but you'll see around a 25-50% increase in your overall combat efficiency."
"That much?" Liddy questioned, surprised at the concept.
"You're taking in small amount of my Lord DNA, of course your body will change." Artorian chuckled. "But you'll still be 100% human. My DNA is only altering your genetic code, not transforming it."
"I… see…" Liddy said, looking down to her hands as she unfurled her fists, seeing that she had dug into her palms without realizing it, blood trailing off her palm and onto the floor. "This is all still… I don't believe you would lie but for everything you just said to be real…"
"I know, a lot to take in." Artorian said, placing his hand on her shoulder in a supportive gesture. "I've only told one other person about my identity, and it was a heavy bomb for them to handle. But they trust me, and they accepted it and even embraced it."
"Thank you for giving me this opportunity, if even for me to reject what I could become with the Abyss."
"Trust me, no one is saying you're making the wrong choice. Everyone here understands and supports your decision to remain yourself… I didn't want to turn you into a Vessel. But I did and threw you into a world beyond what you believed real."
"Don't blame yourself, it was beyond your control." Liddy responded.
"I'm not, I just wanted to have what I said out there." He said, a humorous joke that got a small laugh between the two. "After your surgery, let me know if there's anything else you want to know. You're officially in the inner circle."
"Thank you."
"Artorian, I'll need you to leave now." Charlotte stated, walking up to the two. "With the removal of the Abyss, we cannot risk your strain attempt to overtake you and prevent the surgery from occurring."
"Don't need to tell me twice." Artorian said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Good luck Liddy, you'll be under her knife for a few hours. But you're tough, I know you'll kick whatever nightmare's ass."
"I'm sure I will." She smiled in return as Artorian turned to walk away, pausing for a second next to Matthew.
"You're lucky you didn't cost us a Slayer."
"Just tell me that your father gave you one." Artorian ignored Matthew's statement, his eyes narrowing to his fellow hybrid.
"Of course he did." Matthew unfurled his hand, revealing a small white vial decorated with golden carvings and several gemstones. "One Divine Blessing, on the grounds she refused to be a Vessel."
"Good, make sure she gets it once the surgery is done." Artorian whispered as he walked up the stairs and out of the room, the door closing behind him as a red light turned on over it.
"Artorian?" Turning to his side, the Lord would see Mei Mei looking to him in concern, seeing the somber expression on his face.
"Hey Mei Mei, what are you doing out here?" The boy would ask, turning to the techno Neko maid girl. "I thought Charlotte would've wanted you to help with the operation."
"No I… I couldn't." She'd admit, poking her fingers together in embarrassment. "I don't like the sight of blood, and I could never think of opening a person up."
"Yeah, I'd get that." He would sigh, closing his eyes.
"Is Liddy going to be okay?"
"Yeah, Charlotte's an expert on this. She's removed the Abyss from every previous Vessel that was once a Slayer." He didn't even bother keeping it secret, knowing Charlotte's assistant would no doubt be aware of both his condition and the world wide situation.
"That's good, I was afraid at the intensity of Matthew's lightning when I got him." Mei Mei sighed in relief, placing a hand over her chest to steady herself.
"Ah he's just a prick, he'll contain himself." Artorian chuckled, although noted the assistant still appeared distraught.
'She's likely known her for years, of course she'd be worried.' He would think, recalling the fact that Mei Mei was likely older than him, although to what extent was unknown. But regardless he could tell she had the aura of a caregiver, and hearing of Liddy like put her in a bad mental state.
"Hey, Mei Mei." Artorian would begin to speak, rubbing the back of his head as he did. "I still have to give Karen her tarot cards signed by Sakura before calling it a night. Would you like to meet her? I'm sure you two would get along great."
"Karen, you're friend that you brought for treatment on Severance?" Mei Mei would ask, the small metal cat ears on her head lighting up green as she appeared more excited. "I'd love too! I always wanted to meet the person that inspired you to join us!"
'Well maybe not inspired, but let her think that.' He'd smile to himself as the two started to walk through the hall. 'At least she's going to be okay, right?' His last thought went to Liddy; confident the Slayer would handle the surgery like a breeze and be back to her old self. Although likely with a few adjustments in regards to his DNA.
(A/N): Yeah I'm not going to lie, I have no idea how I've been getting these chapters out. I've just had a recent vigor of writing going through me that seemed solely focused on Hundred. Maybe it's because after reading a good chunk I've gotten a good enough grasp to work on it, maybe it's from just thinking on ideas to work with what I was fully aware of.
Either way, this chapter was just something I was glad to get out, as it means I've gotten a somewhat good chunk out of exposition on some of the Dark Souls aspects of this story. There's definitely more out there, but this will probably be the biggest and longest spree of the information. But excluding that, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll see you at the next one.
Peace!